I'm really liking Kubuntu Linux. They make a version that you can install on a USB stick which you can boot off of, without making any changes to your computer. It also gives you an option at startup to install to your hard drive (either a complete OS replacement or a dual boot.)

NutWrench:They make a version that you can install on a USB stick which you can boot off of, without making any changes to your computer.

When one of my disks died, the one with the OS on it, rather than buying a new HDD, I picked up an 8GB thumbdrive for 5 bucks and put a full installation on it. It wasn't a "live image" - it was a normal install to the thumbdrive rather than to /dev/sda.

You're farked no matter what Windows OS you use. Unless you never heard of Patch Tuesdays used by Microsoft to plug all the holes they keep finding in all their operating systems. I doubt W7 is more secure from snooping than W8 is.

GoldSpider:MightyPez: Apple phased out the surveillance chips in 2009.

Says someone with an obvious axe to grind with Microsoft. I'd be less skeptical with some proof from a less biased source.

/Very seriously considering buying a Mac as my next desktop.

So go look it up. There are plenty of other sources (The OSx86 community is a good one) that specifically says OS X, and by extension, Apple hardware lack support for TPM chips. In fact, get your hands on a Mac and type:

ioreg | grep TPM

You can check and see if TPM is on the computer. Again, services like BitLocker in BootCamp needed specific hacks to get around the lack of TPM.

It's crap like this that actually makes me believe that within my lifetime "the year of the linux desktop" will cease to be a myth. It's very difficult for the rest of the world to justify using MS software when they are handing the keys to your endpoints directly to the US government. Especially when the rules specifically allow the NSA to spy on foreign systems at will.

It's also stuff like this that makes me very angry that Autodesk Production Suite does not support anything but Windows. I'd have ditched MS in my entire office after XP if we could get a decent modeling software in Linux.

Arsten:Run tpmadmin.msc and click "Turn TPM Off" in the action list. You need the password (Check your owners manuals), but it disables the hardware. Some BIOSes have an option to turn it off.

I always figured there had to be a way to turn it off since there is also an option for it in group policy. If group policy can change it in an enterprise environment then it should be available to the home user as well, albeit through esoteric means at times.

skinink:You're farked no matter what Windows OS you use. Unless you never heard of Patch Tuesdays used by Microsoft to plug all the holes they keep finding in all their operating systems. I doubt W7 is more secure from snooping than W8 is.

Are you saying that there are never any security fixes in any of the dozens of monthly module updates Linux distros post via yum and apt-get?

What's funny is, in China and Russia, you are not allowed to import PC's with a TPM chip. We had to ship all of our employees USB thumb drives in order for them to use BitLocker. This is all WIN7, we haven't considered rolling out WIN 8.

Going to have to check my wife's new laptop and see if it is running TPM 2.0. Man, there has got to be a way to disable it in the BIOS

My MIL has a sign with a similar saying at the back door of their house which is really the only way to get in. She really is a nice person, so I haven't had the heart to say anything about it. Just snicker when I walk in and say hi.

/FIL is named Bruce//been almost 25 years and so far I haven't once said "G'day!"///yay me